1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a pivoted handled tool for grasping, holding or cutting workpieces having various configurations.
2. Description of Background Information
It is known, for example in U.S. Pat. No. 5,022,291 to McBain, to provide a pivoted handle tool having at least one pivotable jaw for engagement with a workpiece having a range of different sizes, such as nuts or bolts. The pivotable jaws have flat planar surfaces opposing one another, and the handles include an adjustable pivotable connection to enable the hand tool to engage a plurality of different sized fasteners. However, the flat planar surfaces of the jaws do not permit sufficient engagement with the outer surfaces of the nut such that when a turning force is applied by the hand tool of McBain, the tool can readily slip off the fastener or cause the outer surfaces to become rounded thereby rendering removal or installation of the fastener to be difficult if not impossible.
Another conventional hand tool having pivoted handles and including a locking feature is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,601,221 to Kalkbrenner et al., which discloses a clamping device for rectangular configurations that includes two opposed jaws each having a pivotally mounted, right-angled jaw portion which form a self-adjusting rectangular opening for engaging and holding a rectangular workpiece. The jaws are disclosed as engaging only square or rectangular workpieces and the jaws encompass the entire perimeter of those workpieces or the entire perimeter of an arrangement of a plurality of rectangular workpieces that are desired to be clamped together. It is clear that the self-adjusting jaws disclosed in Kalkbrenner et al. are not intended to engage the heads of threaded fasteners for applying a rotational force or torque thereto.
Conventional locking pliers are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,635,107 to Schmidt. The locking pliers disclosed herein include fixed planar jaw portions, with or without toothed segments, fixed curved jaw portions including toothed segments and combinations of fixed planar and toothed segments. However, there is no disclosure of a self-adjusting pivoted jaw for engagement of a multi-sided workpiece to apply a rotational force or torque thereto, nor is there disclosure of the pivoted jaws being formed with cutting segments, or of a locking pliers having two jaw members pivotally attached to one elongated member to provide a greater range of movement.
Additionally, U.S. Pat. No. 2,464,145 to Mead and U.S. Pat. No. 2,558,440 to Johnson both disclose hand tools having pivoted handles which include a slot formed in one of the handles at the pivotal connection to permit the hand tool to accommodate workpieces of various sizes. However, neither of these conventional pivoted handle tools provide an adjustment slot in both of the pivoted members to permit greater adjustability and accommodation of workpieces having larger sizes.